October 17, 2011

The CA Medical Assn, the state’s largest medical group representing more than 35,000 doctors, calls for the legalization of marijuana. Dr. Donald Lyman, author of the group’s new policy, says it was born out of frustration with CA’s medical marijuana law which allows doctors to prescribe the illegal substance. "It’s an uncomfortable position for doctors. It is an open question whether cannabis is useful or not. That question can only be answered once it is legalized and more research is done. Then, and only then, can we know what it is useful for." The CMA calls for the regulation of marijuana use - and the debate to legalize the substance rages on. Last year CA voters rejected Prop 19 which would have legalized the cultivation and possession of limited amounts of cannabis.

Senator Claire McCaskill told her 59,000 Twitter followers that she was tired of feeling fat and wanted to discuss her weight-loss journey publicly to stay disciplined. Since starting to use Twitter to talk about her weight in May, McCaskill has lost 50 pounds. CNN reports that her plan included healthy foods every three hours, plus cardio and Twitter. She achieved her goal in five months, referring to her "new BFF Mr. Treadmill" in her victory tweet. Trainer Charles D’Angelo says that McCaskil used social media to keep herself "publicly accountable." That accountability helped to hold her weight-loss program together. D’Angelo told CNN that using Twitter was "totally Claire's idea."

Researchers who sequenced colon tissue DNA at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that a significant amount of Fusobacterium DNA was present in all nine samples of colorectal cancer. DNA from nine healthy samples was also analyzed side by side as a comparison. This particular bacterium has been linked to ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that has been linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Scientists want to see if Fusobacterium creates a "microenvironment" in which cells interact with each other in certain ways that encourages the cancer to grow. Some scientists also hypothesize that the cancer cells may provide a fertile environment for the bacterium. Future studies will involve determining if Fusobacterium induces colon cancer in animals.